Startup Branding Guide | Starting a business can be a nerve-wrecking experience. Considering the number of small businesses providing similar services and products already out there, turning your business idea into a success story is one of the most challenging tasks. However, unlike what many marketing agencies would have you believe, it doesn’t have to be that difficult. And the best part, you can stand out in your niche and grab the attention of your target audience without breaking the budget.

In order to stand out, you need to be different! Granted, you might be offering services or products that are already available, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stand out from the crowd. It can be done, and it has been done countless times before, and we gathered some of the most effective ways you can build a brand that appeals to your ideal client, creates a bond and boost loyalty.

Why Does Branding Matter? | Startup Branding Guide

The benefits of a strong brand are similar to when two people fall in love with each other – not only will your clients remember who you are and what you can do for them, but you’ll also create an emotional bond with them and spark brand loyalty that will allow you to grow your business and your client base without lowering the prices or using any similar gimmicks other less established business might turn to.

What’s Your Name? | Startup Branding Guide

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of iconic brands? Their names and the logos that represent them. This is a vitally important step that will affect the rest of your branding, so you’ll want to take the time to think about the name for your business. It’s not something that can be easily changed, especially once your business gains popularity. Changing the name later on will confuse your potential clients and might even alienate the existing ones.

Once you have the name for your business, it’s time to come up with the face for it! We’re talking about the logo – that seemingly simple piece of graphic that will represent your business both online and off. Since it will be the sole element that ties together your entire brand, you’ll want to make sure it’s designed by a professional and not an “artsy” friend.

What Makes You Unique? | Startup Branding Guide

As mentioned before, standing out means being different. If your brand is going to be strong, you need to be able to determine what it is exactly that makes what you do unique. What differentiates you from others in your industry? Is it the lowest price? The highest quality? Excellent customer service? Quickest turnaround? You can’t be everything to everyone, so by clearly defining what differentiates you, you’ll be able to stand out a lot easier. Once you know what makes you unique, you also need to find a simple and effective way of communicating it to your potential clients.

What Do You Sound Like? | Startup Branding Guide

Clearly defining what makes you different and communicating your brand’s message is crucial for the success of your business, but don’t forget the way you communicate your message. In other words, while what you say is important, so is how you say it! Come up with a voice for your business and use it consistently throughout your marketing materials. This will cover the language you use, as well as the brand-oriented words and the tone of voice you use when writing a new blog post on your website, composing a new tweet, answering the phone, or talking to a customer in real life!

How Can You Help Your Clients Remember You? | Startup Branding Guide

A recent study found that a consumer needs to engage with a brand at least 5-7 times before remembering it, which means you need to find a way to get in front of each client at least 5 times! This can be a tricky task, but is far from being impossible. To boost exposure of your brand, make sure you’re using a consistent design throughout your materials – whether it’s using the same color scheme, fonts, or slightly different versions of your logo on every piece of paper that leaves your office. Feature your logo and your slogan on your website as well, but also on social media and in print to improve recognition.

Will Your Brand Walk The Walk? | Startup Branding Guide

You can be the world’s most charming business owner and have the cleverest marketing campaign in your industry, but if the products and services you’re providing fail to meet and exceed your client’s expectations, you’ll never succeed. This is why it’s vitally important you don’t sugarcoat your branding message! Stay true to your brand and never lose sight of your products and services, and you’ll be on your way to building a reputation of a reliable expert in your industry!

Does Branding Need To Be So Difficult? | Startup Branding Guide

Not really! Many branding agencies would have you believe that you need an expert guiding you every step of the way, but there are many things you can do on your own to build a strong brand that stands out from the crowd! Outstanding customer service, matched with immaculate products are a great start! Then, define your target audience and come up with a name, logo, and a voice that will appeal to them, and you’re good to go!

Share the love:24000

If you enjoy reading our blog, would you mind taking a moment to rate it? Thanks for your support!

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Name

Email

Testimonials

I had been following Media Novak’s work for a while now and was always impressed with their logo work. The logo designs they came up with based on my wishes for what I wanted it to look like were above and beyond what I had imagined. The process itself was smooth and so easy. I gave input and they took it on board and applied it to the next design. I would highly recommend them any day!

Chantal Lachance-Gibson Photography

I cannot begin to say enough about Mark & the team at Media Novak. Their customer service has been TOP NOTCH! They have gone way beyond my expectations and dreams and have put together a website for me that I am so proud of… I actually can’t believe that it’s mine! If you are looking for a new website or new branding then look no further… contact these guys today!

Myrick Cowart – Photographer

Thank you thank you thank you! I really appreciate all of your help and your quick replies and editing, and well, everything. I will DEFINITELY be referring your team! I love my new logo and I love that it is completely my own and completely encompasses my brand. I really appreciate all of the time and effort your team has put into this project. Thank you again and again!

Bethany Petersen – Photographer

I decided to hire Media Novak after seeing a friends logo that I really liked. I sent them my ideas but I actually preferred one of their original concepts over my own ideas! They really understood the look and feel I was trying to achieve and I am delighted with my new logo! I found the process to be really enjoyable and smooth and emails were answered very quickly… a big thumbs up from me!

Karen McGowran – Photographer

Media Novak were helpful and listened to me as the client… never once tried to push their likes onto me… but they do offer good advice. I think what has mattered most to me was once we went live, they were very much still around to iron out little problems that only became noticeable to myself with the daily running of a website and a blog! I would highly recommend them to other businesses!

Jo-Ann Stokes – Photographer

Media Novak designed a beautiful website for me and I’m very satisfied with it. They listened to what I wanted and tailored the site to fit me and I really appreciate that. Their prices are reasonable and the quality is fantastic. I would highly recommend this company.

About Us

MediaNovak is a creative design agency that specializes in web design, online marketing, graphic design and corporate identity solutions. We started our company with some basic ideals—offer our customers exceptional design, while delivering a positive customer experience.

These ideals have helped grow our business and drive customers to our door. A majority of our business comes simply from “word of mouth” referrals—one customer telling another of the experience that we offer here. We consider this the ultimate compliment.